The Territorial Cup game ended Arizona State’s first season under head coach Kenny Dillingham.
Saturday’s game showed the best and worst from Arizona State and Dillingham is ready to continue building his dream program.
Dillingham emphasized setting the standard of this team. He has seen the program’s potential in the grit players have shown.
Dillingham also understands how far the team needs to go.
“I didn’t take this job and expect to go win eight games,” Dillingham said. “So the buy-in, what we’re doing, the direction we’re going. One hundred percent. It’s the direction that needs to be headed.”
Growth is being able to fall and recover. Dillingham is ready to see the program get stronger than before.
“Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to bounce back up. Where we were as a program and the direction we’re going, I have 1000 percent confidence that the ball’s bouncing up,” said Dillingham.
Confusion at quarterback plagued the rock-bottom year. Freshman Jaden Rashada was expected to start. Instead, ASU sent out a junior-laden backfield with running back Cam Skattebo and tight end Jalin Conyers taking snaps in wildcat to start the game.
Rashada’s benching came from the push for accountability within as the freshman was late to a mandatory meeting.
“We have policies and one thing we’re not gonna do is I’m not gonna be a coward. If I say there’s a standard for the program, there’s gonna be a standard for the program,” Dillingham said.
Players appreciated Dillingham’s approach and effect on the culture even after the devastating loss.
“This is the first culture I’ve genuinely bought into,” said graduate student linebacker Tre Brown. “I wouldn’t trade any place for where I am now, and I love the guys that are in that room. I love the coaches. I love the players. As you can see these players are dedicated to each other. It’s more than football.”
Dillingham bred confidence within but insists that in order to build a contender there’s work to do and it’s changed from the former landscape of college football.
“I’m gonna go fundraise because that’s what the name of the game is nowadays,” Dillingham said. “Staff’s gonna recruit players, I’ll go out and recruit some players but I’m recruiting people who want this place to win as well. And that has nothing to do with players.”
He has sought players with an appreciation for what has gone into changing the program.
Getting players bought in doesn’t guarantee wins. Since day one, his sentiment of recruiting people who care about the program has been the one constant.
Dillingham said he liked the direction of the buy-in from the community and that from a fan perspective he likes the direction they are going.
“If we want to get where we want to go, we’re heading in the right direction. The support is in the right direction, but we just need to get better,” said Dillingham.
Dillingham alluded to the hard part of sustaining community support being the fact that ASU is in a major metropolitan area with lots to do.
Dillingham referred to people in the valley as “front runners” who are distracted and enticed by success. To him, college is the only place where success will not come before support.
“The support is what allows you to ride the wave. It got better than what it was in the prior years,” Dillingham said. “Everyone who’s associated with ASU has to take a little more ownership of it, because there’s so much to do.”
Dillingham knows how hard his path is. He desired to take the difficult route saying hardship will develop a sustainable contender.
“Once this place gets rocking, it will never fall again.”
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